The central question facing a proposed 25-acre development off U.S. 20 in Porter is how its access points would affect a highway and nearby intersections that residents already describe as dangerous. The property, tucked behind Leroy's Hot Stuff, could eventually include townhouse apartments, short-term rentals, a farmer's market, a restaurant, an event center and a small-scale goat farm, but the Town Plan Commission wants firmer traffic information before the project advances.
Kevin Spellacy, an Indianapolis man, is seeking a Planned Unit Development agreement that would allow the uses to be built in phases, according to the Chicago Tribune. He plans to begin with townhouse apartments and several short-term rental homes before adding the farmer's market, restaurant, event center and goat farm that would make the site an “agri-tourism” attraction. Spellacy estimated that the townhouse apartments alone would generate about 350 daily car trips, the Tribune reported.
That estimate came from a traffic study Spellacy conducted himself using ChatGPT, according to the Chicago Tribune. Plan Commission members want a professional study instead. Michael Barry, the town's director of development and building superintendent, said the proposal also needs more detail, while noting that commissioners like the concept and want it developed further.
Hilly Terrain and Unanswered Construction Questions
Rob Albrecht-Mallinger, president of the Plan Commission, pressed Spellacy for more precision in his plan, particularly regarding the property's hilly topography. The commission also wants Spellacy to lay out the sequence of construction beyond the initial townhouse-apartment phase, and the plan must still address the placement of an entrance and an exit lane to accommodate traffic flowing on and off U.S. 20.
What the traffic data still needs to show
The materials available for this report do not establish how much traffic currently uses U.S. 20 near the proposed site, so they cannot yet show how the highway's existing volume compares with the project's estimate of about 350 daily trips from the townhouse apartments alone. The Indiana Department of Transportation provides a Traffic Viewer and Traffic Count Database System that can be used to examine roadway conditions and traffic counts. A professional study could use that type of baseline information to put the project's projected trips in context, along with the proposed entrance and exit arrangements. For now, the commission is asking Spellacy to supply that analysis before it weighs whether the development's traffic can be accommodated.
Infrastructure is another open question. Barry said Chesterton has the capacity to handle sewage from the property, but pump stations in the area would need to be upgraded first to manage the added load.
Neighbors Point to Dangerous Intersections
Residents near the proposed site focused on the safety implications of adding traffic to U.S. 20 and its nearby intersections. Tanya Smith, who lives on Oak Hill Road, said crossing U.S. 20 there is already difficult because of existing traffic. Paul Poparad, a longtime Wagner Road resident, said the Wagner Road intersection with U.S. 20 is already dangerous and that he has seen many accidents there that caused harm to the public. Poparad asked for an accurate accounting of the project's traffic impact before it moves forward.
Those concerns echo objections raised earlier this summer, when an initial version of the plan proposed only one entrance to the property and some residents argued that two access points were needed. Officials had said then that Spellacy might eventually need a traffic study; the commission's latest position makes clear that it expects a professional analysis rather than a self-guided estimate.
What Happens Next
The Plan Commission voted Wednesday to continue the hearing until next month, giving Spellacy more time to provide the requested information, according to the Chicago Tribune. The Town Council will make the final decision on the PUD agreement, but that vote will not come until the commission is satisfied with the traffic, topography and construction-sequencing details still missing from the plan.
The proposal was described in July as a mixed-use development on 25 acres of woodland, with an initial phase of 52 townhouse apartments and four short-term-rental houses. Construction was expected to begin within 12 to 18 months, while the goat-farm portion was not expected for at least three more years. The project's broader vision remains on hold as officials seek measurable information about its effect on U.S. 20 and the surrounding roads.
